Building on strengths

How can you overcome difficult challenges? One approach is to follow the principle adopted by many recovery programmes. It is to focus on acting as a healthy person ‘one day at a time’.

Imagine, for example, that you are aiming to recover in your professional life. You may be suffering from redundancy, the effects of recession or another setback. Let’s explore three steps you can take to work towards your goals by acting as a professional one day at a time.

1) You can clarify your assets and long-term picture of success.

“Sometimes it is hard to lift your sights during the midst of a crisis,” said one person. “I have found it is useful to do several things.”

“First, to clarify my assets. These include my health, relationships, talents and other assets. I also look back at previous crises I have managed successfully. What did I do right then? How can I follow these principles in the future? Clarifying my assets helps to build my inner strength.”

“Second, to clarify my lifetime picture of success. This helps to see things in perspective. I can then see the current circumstances as a blip on the way towards my destination. The journey can be instructive, however, because you learn from the pleasures and pains along the way. This is part of living a fulfilling life.”

Imagine you are facing a professional crisis. Certainly it is vital to take short-term action to get back on track. If you face redundancy, for example, you will develop the daily discipline of making ‘getting a job a full-time job’. It is also good to do things that lift your soul. One tool for doing this is to focus on the bigger picture.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Looking beyond today, pick a date in the future – such as when you are 50, 60, 70 or whatever – and outline your long-term goals. Describe what you want to be doing then – your picture of success. Try completing the following exercise.

2) You can clarify how you can act as a professional to achieve success.

Recovering from anything takes time. Bearing this in mind, however, it is vital to do three things.

* To have a clear goal – this is the ‘what’ – the picture of success.

* To have a clear strategy – this is the ‘how’. These are the key principles you can follow to give yourself the greatest chance of success.

* To have a daily routine you can follow to reach your goals – this is the ‘when’. Making this happen produces short, medium and long-term success.

The recovering addict or alcoholic knows what they must do to become healthy. They must take responsibility, develop good daily habits and encourage themselves on the journey.

The professional also knows what they must do to recover from redundancy, recession or whatever. But this is only the starting point. They must translate this awareness into action and then achievement.

Imagine you have clarified your picture of success. How can you act as a professional on the road towards achieving your goals? What are the key strategies you can follow? What are the specific things you can do each day? Try completing the following exercise.

3) You can recover by acting as a professional one day at a time.

This is the interesting part – the daily sweat – but it can also be immensely satisfying. It is important:

* To keep focusing on the picture of success.

* To follow your daily disciplines on the road towards the picture of success.

* To be fully present and work as a professional one day at a time.

It is only by being professional in the present – the ‘now’ – that you can positively shape the future. Do a great day’s work – then relax and recover. Rehearse what you must do tomorrow. Then work towards your goal one day at a time.

This sounds tough, but it the strategy most likely to succeed for recovering alcoholics and addicts. It also works with people in other fields – such as athletes preparing for a competition and professionals aiming to achieve peak performance.

Keep focusing on the overall goal, because this lifts the spirits. But the journey is valuable in itself. You learn a lot about yourself, your character and creativity.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe the daily disciplines you can follow to work towards your goal. Try completing the following exercise.

There are many ways to recover from setbacks. Whichever route you take, one of the keys is to keep doing the right things in the right way.

Twyla Tharp, the choreographer, recommends establishing positive rituals. Now in the 60s, she starts her day at 5.30 am and walks out of her flat onto the Manhattan Street. She then hails a cab that takes her to the gym for a two-hour workout. Twyla believes that it is vital to start the day properly. Writing in her book The Creative Habit, she explains:

“Being creative is an everyday thing, a job with its own routine … The routine is as much part of the creative process as the lightening bolt of inspiration (perhaps more). And it is available to everyone. If creativity is a habit, then the best creativity is a result of good work habits.”

Sounds fine, but how do you encourage yourself, especially in the difficult moments? One approach is to keep your eyes on the long-term picture of success. You can then keeping working towards your goal, one day at a time.

Imagine that you have suffered a setback. You understand the stages that many people go through after such an experience. They travel through shock, denial, paralysis, anger, hurt, healing, new strength, new goals, hard work, success and self-confidence.

You are aware of the journey, but the setback still hurts. How can you re-take control? One approach is to spend time in a ‘sanctuary’, then shape your future and achieve success. Let’s explore these steps.

1) You can spend time in a sanctuary.

People who suffer a setback need time to lick their wounds. So it can be useful to spend time in your chosen sanctuary, even if it is only for 10 seconds.

“I tend to find a quiet corner where I can reflect,” said one person. “Certainly I find it useful to buy time to get angry, do some ‘grieving’ or make sense of what happened. Then I gather my strength to plot the way forward.”

Where do you go to rest and reflect? You may sleep, go for a walk, talk with a friend or whatever. What do you then do to regain your strength?

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe a potential setback that you may experience in the future. You may be overlooked for promotion, fail to get a customer order, have your book rejected by a publisher or whatever. Second, describe the possible sanctuaries you may use to recover from the setback. Third, describe what you will do to gather your strength. Try completing the following sentences.

2) You can focus on shaping your future.

Sanctuaries are great for a while. But then it's important to begin exercising your muscles, otherwise the body atrophies. When you feel ready, emerge from the sanctuary and begin shaping your future.

“I had two choices after suffering a particular setback,” said one person. “Put simply, I could dwell on the past or develop my future. I could choose to succeed or sulk. So I chose to succeed.”

People do not always choose what happens to them – but they do choose their response to these events.

Let’s return to the potential setback you may face. Peak performers ask themselves the following questions in such situations.

“What is my goal? What are the real results I want to achieve? What are the ‘controllables’? How can I build on what I can control and manage what I can’t control?”

“What are the potential options for working towards the goals? What are the consequences – the pluses and minuses – of each option? What is the attractiveness of each option? Are there any other creative solutions?”

“Which is the route I want to pursue? How can I make this happen? How can I get a quick success?”

You will, of course, have your own model for taking charge of the future. Looking at the potential setback you may face, try completing the follow sentence.

 3) You can work hard to achieve success.  

It’s then time to do the work. People choose different ways to work hard to achieve success, but several factors are worth bearing in mind.

After deciding on your chosen path, you will pursue a clear action plan. It is good to start with an early success, because this creates positive momentum. You can then follow your daily disciplines. One MD explained.

“The new owners of our parent company ‘displaced’ me one Friday. After taking a week off to collect my thoughts, I then made ‘getting a job’ a full-time job.”

“I sat down at 8.30 on the Monday to contact people by email and focused on those in my network. These were the people who knew what I offered.”

“Writing customised letters – rather than sending out a conventional CV – I outlined 3 things I could deliver to help their business to be successful. I also said I would be visiting their part of the country within the next month, even if I wasn’t.”

“I asked if it would be useful to drop in for a coffee. Within 6 weeks I had two offers, both at a higher salary than my previous job.”

Keep working hard. But be patient and encourage yourself on the journey. When you hit a wall, retire for a short time to your sanctuary to regain strength. You will then emerge to work even smarter.

“Breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs,” we are told. They can spur us towards greater success. Let’s assume you have charted your strategy for overcoming the setback. Bearing this route in mind, try completing the following sentence.

There are many models for overcoming setbacks. One approach is to spend time in a sanctuary. You can then shape your future, set specific goals and work hard to achieve your picture of success.

There are many ways to set visions. One way is to invite people to pick a date in the future. You can ask them to describe the actual words they want to hear specific stakeholders saying then that will show they have achieved the picture of success.

Doing this exercise enables people to envisage the ‘What’ – the real results to achieve. It encourages them to use their imagination, rather than fall into self-censorship. They can then explore the ‘How’ by asking: “How can we do everything possible to ensure that people are saying those words?”

Let’s consider how you can use this exercise.

1) You can clarify the words you want to hear from various stakeholders.

Imagine that you are facilitating a strategy workshop. You may be working with a leadership team, a customer service team, a sports team or whatever.

Before running the session, you can try this type of exercise on yourself to design the workshop. Meet with the team leaders and agree on: “What do we want people in the team to be saying after the session?” Clarifying these goals can help you to design the workshop. For example, you may want them to be saying:

“That was an enjoyable workshop. We now know where we are heading and have an exciting goal. We know the strategy and our parts in making it happen. We also know how to get some quick successes.”

Let’s assume that the leaders have agreed on these aims. Ask yourself as a facilitator: “How can I do my best to ensure the workshop achieves these goals?” Design the session, check it out with the leaders and then get on with delivering the results.

——————-

There are many ways to use the ‘actual words’ exercise in a workshop or other type of session. The main aims are:

a) To lift people’s eyes to create a stretching and stimulating goal.

b) To, if appropriate, encourage them to become more stakeholder focused.

c) To use their creativity to focus on how they can do their best to achieve the goal.

Recently I ran a session for 30 people a pioneering company. Picking a date 3 years into the future, we identified several groups of stakeholders. These included: The Potential Buyers; Venture Capitalists; John, the CEO; Sue, the MD; Customers – separated into three target groups; and Colleagues – the people working in the company.  I prepared individual Flip Charts with the respective stakeholder’s names on top and laid these on the floor.

People were invited to stand on the chart they were interested in completing. They were given 30 minutes to do the exercise. People returned to present the actual words they wanted to hear that particular stakeholder saying in 3 years. The exercise encouraged people to lift their eyes, become more customer focused and help to shape the team’s picture of success.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Pick a date in the future and create a separate sheet for each named stakeholder. Describe the actual words – not management phrases – that you want to hear the stakeholder saying by that date. Try completing the following exercise.

2) You clarify the words you want to hear from colleagues.

Colleagues are obviously stakeholders, so you may have covered these during the previous exercise. But let’s explore two other topics regarding what you want to hear colleagues saying. One example stems from working with a company that aimed to ‘improve the colleague’s journey’. The other example focuses on a company that aimed to turnaround its culture. Let’s consider each of these situations.

* Improving the colleague’s journey.

“Every business talks about giving great service to it customers, but good modelling is vital,” said the MD of a retail company. “The way we treat our people has a profound effect on the way they then treat the customers. Businesses talk about ‘the customer’s journey’ and certain ‘moments of truth’ when a person deals with the company. Getting these moments right can win customers for life; getting these wrong can turn them away for ever.”

“Nowadays we also talk about ‘the colleague’s journey’ during their career with our company. For example: enquiring about a job – coming for interview – arriving for induction – and so on. People learn from what you do, not what you say. So we must aim to get the moments of truth right during their time in the company. They are then more likely to get such moments right when serving customers in the stores.”

How to make this happen? We began by plotting the colleague’s journey and the specific ‘moments of truth’. Bearing these in mind, we then wrote the actual words we would like to hear people saying after these experiences. Here are some of the steps along this route.

The Colleague's Journey: The moments of truth
during their career in the organisation are:

Seeing the role advertised

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Making contact with the company

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Coming for an interview

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Getting a job offer

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Spending their first day in the company

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Spending their first week in the company

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Getting a permanent job offer

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Attending their first performance appraisal

The actual words we would like to hear
them saying after this experience are:

“_______________________________________________________”

Etc.

Great organisations recognise the power of positive modelling. The way they treat their staff has a profound effect on the way the staff treat their customers. We found that doing this exercise – then implementing the necessary actions – helped to improve morale in the company.

* Building a successful culture.

“Near death experiences focus the mind,” we are told.

Certainly this was the case when a new leadership team took over a troubled company. They recognised it was a matter of urgency to turnaround the culture. In its heyday the company had been dynamic. People showed a positive attitude, took responsibility and delivered great results.

But over the years people became institutionalised; a problem that was compounded by weak management. The old leaders ignored the caring and creative people; choosing instead to focus on the complainers. The new leaders aimed to communicate some positive yet tough messages.

Great companies explain ‘the deal’ to their people. They explain the results, ‘rules’ and rewards. They outline the results to achieve; the rules – the guidelines – for achieving the goals; and the rewards – the benefits for the company, colleagues and customers.

They are also ‘moral’. They explain the approach the company is taking and can give reasons for this approach. People can then choose whether or not they want to opt into working towards the goals.

The new leaders took this approach. They clarified the story, strategy and road to success. They also clarified the key messages to give people. Several of these messages explained the spirit – the professional behaviours – required to reach the goals.

People would then be given the opportunity to opt in. The leaders could only ‘control the controllables’. For example, they could be professional in their communication, but they could not control people’s reactions. Bearing this in mind, they described the actual words they would like people to be saying after the communication. They identified the following groups.

The Positive People. The actual words we want to
hear them saying after we give the messages are:

“The company has a clear story, strategy and road to success. Everybody has the chance to opt in and help to make this happen. We know the leadership team’s role and the team member’s role. The company will encourage people who are positive and professional. It’s okay to suggest improvements, but to do this in a constructive – rather than complaining – way. Everybody needs to take responsibility. We want to be part of shaping a successful future.”

The Positive/Neutral People. The actual words we want
to hear them saying after we give the messages are:

“Now we see a way forward. We want it to be a place where people are rewarded for being professional and doing good work, rather than having tantrums. We believe the company is now serious about building that kind of work place.”

The Negative People. The actual words we want to
hear them saying after we give the messages are:

“We know the deal. We may not like all of the messages, but at least we know where we stand. It is now up to us to decide whether or not we want to part of that culture.”

Such people must make a choice. The company must be moral, however, and give clear messages about the behaviour required to achieve the overall goals. It is not possible to ‘control’ the response of negative people: some will complain whatever happens.

————

The leaders gave their chosen messages and got the predictable reactions. The positive and neutral people reacted well. The negative people seemed stunned for a while. A few responded by behaving more professionally; but others relapsed into complaining. The culture became much more positive, however, and the negative people left within 6 months.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by picking a specific topic. For example, shifting a culture, improving the colleague's journey or whatever. Then pick date in the future. Describe the actual words – not management phrases – that you want to hear the colleagues saying by that date. Try completing the following exercise.

3) You can clarify the words you want to hear from other groups.

Depending on your work, these groups might include, for example, the investors, the press, the media, a football club’s fans, specific members of the public, future generations or other target group. Clarifying the actual words you want to hear them saying can help to crystallise your specific goals.

Wendy, the marketing director of a retail chain, adapted this approach to gain financial backing from her Board. She wanted to launch a modern choir project across the country. There would be two categories: one for young people, one for community choirs. Rehearsals would be held across the country, performances put on in stores and a Grand Final held in London.

This was a hard sell, particularly the ‘live performances’ in stores, because it would take valuable selling space. Several Board Members loved the idea, but others had reservations, particularly about the logistics. Wendy explains how she got the Board’s backing.

“I decided to make a DVD showing the picture of success. Set 18 months in the future, it showed what people would be saying after the choir competitions. Splicing it together with excerpts from Gareth Malone’s BBC TV Series Boys Don’t Sing, I got our employees to play members of the public talking about the choir competition. Their scripts included lines like:

‘It’s great to see (company name) being so innovative … My teenage daughter took me to visit the store on the choir day. We ended up spending lots of money … The whole place was rocking and it changed my view of the store … I hope they hold something similar next year. It will give me an excuse to go and buy something.’

“The DVD had the desired effect. The Board were projected into the future and experienced the sensation of success. The CEO immediately intervened and sanctioned the budget.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Pick another group that you want to reach with the picture of success. Describe the actual words you want to hear them saying by your chosen date. Try completing the following exercise.

Time to move from awareness to action. Try completing the final exercise. Start by looking back at the exercises and choose to focus on a specific target group. These might be your customers, leaders, colleagues, press or other people. Then do the following things.

First, describe the date, the target group and the actual words you want to hear these people saying.

Second, describe the specific steps you can take to do your best to ensure they are saying those words.

Third, make these things happen.

Do whatever is necessary to achieve the picture of success.

How can you do fine work? One key factor is getting in shape to achieve peak performance. This provides the springboard for doing great work. So let’s explore how you can continue to make this happen.

1) You can get in physical shape.

What is your ideal physical condition? What kind of food are you eating? How much are you exercising? What is your weight?

How are you using your energy? How much are you resting? Do you sleep for 8 hours a night; or do you sleep for 6 hours then have regular breaks during the day?

What is your preferred pattern: a) for making good use of your energy: b) for building-in times for rest and recovery?

Looking back on your life, when have you been in good physical shape? What did you do right to make this happen? How can you follow similar principles in the future? What will be the benefits?

“I can always guess my weight with half a kilo,” said one person. “Over the past 20 years I have stayed within a 2 kilo range. I immediately notice if I am overweight: my belt obviously feels tighter, but may brain also becomes sluggish."

"Heeding the warning signs, I eat healthy food and walk for at least 2 hours a day. Within 5 days I am back to my ‘fighting weight’. I feel better, more alert and quicker to find solutions to challenges.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. How can you stay in the right physical shape? How can you make sure this approach is sustainable? Try completing the following sentence.

2) You can get in psychological shape.

How do you get yourself into the right frame of mind to do good work? Mental preparation is crucial in any arena – whether you are playing a sport, making a keynote presentation, focusing on how to tackle a project or whatever.

Let’s consider some of the steps in this process. You may go through three stages to be on top of your game.

* You clarify the potential routes you can follow in the future.

This involves exploring the potential options, together with the pluses and minuses involved in each route.

* You commit to achieving a specific goal.

This involves accepting the whole package, the upsides and downside. You aim to build on the pluses and minimise the minuses.

* You follow daily disciplines for achieving the goal.

This involves establishing a daily rhythm on your route to reaching the goal.

You manage your energy towards achieving the goal. This involves developing a structure for your working day. Different people will, of course, following different structures for making this happen.

Looking at my own work, for example, I behave differently when spending days at home writing compared to being on the road mentoring or running workshops. Doing the writing calls for setting aside enough time to tackle a piece of work.

It is then important: to get into writing mode; rehearse what is going to be written, probably the night before; get up early; go for a run; explore the writing while running and find examples to bring it to life; relax and begin the writing; create the first chunk; go for walks during the day – which often produce fresh ideas and continue until the writing for the day feels completed.

Mentoring calls for a different approach. It is important: to get lots of sleep; wake early; rehearse the day; walk to the work place (preferably something like a 40 minute walk); reach the venue an hour early; re-rehearse the first session and encourage people during the meetings.

Most of the day is spent thinking about how to help people to succeed, but I also build-in breaks for renewal. (Strangely, a good way to clear my mind is to surf the net for football stories!)

Then it is onto rehearsing the next session. Whenever possible, I walk back from the session, which helps the learning to sink-in. The next step is rehearsing the next day.

So how do you get yourself in the right frame of mind? Everybody has their individual rituals for being on top of their game. Try completing the following sentence.

3) You can get in practical shape.

How can you organise the practical things to give yourself the greatest chance of success? This will include some aspects mentioned earlier – such as setting aside time to tackle the task. It will also mean getting the right support, money and other resources that enable you to succeed.

Imagine that you have been asked to create a new prototype for an organisation. Let’s assume you have been given the authority to show how this part of the business can operate successfully in the future. You will require certain practical things to be in place.

It may be important, for example, to be in a separate building. Why? You will hire people who may behave differently from others in the business. So they may need to be in a different physical location: otherwise they will be pressured to ‘conform’ to old patterns.

Imagine you are aiming to do some individual creative work – such as painting, writing or refurbishing a car. You will need the time, the tools and the right environment to do good work.

Sometimes this may mean paying others to do some of your ongoing ‘grunt work’. You can then channel your energy towards pursuing your particular project.

Whatever your chosen goal, getting the practical things in place provides the foundation for success. Try completing the exercise on this theme at the end of the article.

There are many approaches to doing fine work. One is to make sure all the physical, psychological and practical things are in place. You can then throw yourself into the work and do whatever is necessary to achieve peak performance.

The Gallup Organization has made many people aware of the possibilities of building on strengths. During their surveys they asked individuals to what extent they ‘strongly agreed’ with the statement:

“At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.”

Only one-third answered that they did. Not surprisingly, these people felt satisfied in their work and were highly productive. Building on this approach, let’s explore how you can spend more time employing your top talents.

1) You can clarify your A talents.

Start by brainstorming what you do best, then settle on your top three talents. These activities may be closely connected. Alternatively, at first sight they may appear wildly disparate. One person wrote:

“My top three talents are being able: a) To bring lessons to life when educating students at college: b) To bring out the best in actors when directing plays at the local theatre: c) To care for organic gardens. One common theme, however, is that of nurturing people – and things – to explore their potential.”

You may or may not find a common theme, but begin by clarifying your top talents. Try completing the following sentence.

2) You can clarify the percentage of time you spend using your A talents.

Take a look at your working week and try answering the following questions.

* What percentage of time do you spend using – or preparing to use - your A talents?

* What percentage of time do you realistically believe it would be possible to spend using – or preparing to use - your A talents?

* What would be the benefits – for yourself and for other people?

Peak performers are like athletes. They spend lots of time preparing, practicing and mentally rehearsing for their actual performance. This time can be both valuable and fulfilling, so it is important to factor in the preparation time.

Looking at a ‘typical working week’, try completing the following sentences.

3) You can spend more time using your A talents.

What was your answer regarding the percentage of time you spend? Was it 80%, 60%, 40% or less? Depending on the figure you gave, here are some suggestions.

* 80%+

You are probably feeling fulfilled in your work. Being driven, however, you may be committed to making full use of your talents. Keep putting yourself into situations where you feel in your element – you feel at ease yet excel.

Look for stimulating ‘projects’ and work with stimulating people in stimulating places. This will provide even more energy to keep using your strengths.

* 60%+

You may be feeling quite fulfilled in your work – but interruptions, meetings and other agendas may stop your flow. Focus on how you can spend more time doing satisfying work. If you work for yourself, explore how pursuing these activities can bring in funding.

If you work in an organisation, do some ‘positioning’. Show how pursuing these satisfying activities will benefit the business. Sponsors buy benefits. So if you want to re-craft your role, remember the old adage: “Don’t go to the organisation with an idea – go with your first three customers.”

* 40% or less

You may want to re-consider your role. This does not mean immediately leaving your present position; but it does mean doing some serious work on exploring ways to express your talents.

Big changes do not happen overnight, so begin by getting some early wins. For example, pursue the activities that give you positive energy in your personal and professional life.

Start doing things that create momentum – even if this is simply gathering information. Get into the habit of doing something early each day that gets a success. You can then begin spreading these activities across the day.

Don’t worry if you can’t see an instant ‘solution’, because making the switch can take time. At some point, however, you may need to put yourself into a situation where you have more opportunity to use your top talents.

Whatever percentage of time you spend doing satisfying work, try completing the following sentence. Then translate the ideas into action. Making more use of your A talents can bring benefits to everybody.